Chapter Seven, The Soul Severing Pulse

What he said is somewhat unclear to me, but I always feel that this is intricately connected to the matter of Uncle Dog Egg transforming a snake

Last night, Zhu Danian was on Li Aiguo's side. As soon as Zhu Danian entered the door, my father did not give him a good look. At that moment, he spoke about taking my grandfather away, which my father naturally opposed and prepared to drive Zhu Danian away. However, he was stopped by my grandfather.

Grandfather waved his hand at him without answering, but instead walked over to Zhu Heiwa's side, felt his pulse again, and then what Grandfather touched was no longer the breath, but the space between Zhu Heiwa's eyebrows

It seems that grandfather and Uncle Dogdan must be plotting something.

In a few hours, dawn will break. At this moment, someone knocks on the door. What could it be about?

Xiao Wei had previously fainted from excessive sadness, but she has now regained consciousness. However, she refuses to speak. Normally, she would be very talkative whenever she sees me, but no matter how I ask her now, she remains silent.

My father and I followed behind, and along the way, I was pondering what might happen at Zhu Danian's house. He hasn't cut any trees, I thought as I walked, and soon we arrived at his home.

It is indeed strange that the Ma family, which was originally quite poor and had few members, saw an increase in male descendants in the four to five years following the burial of the old man Ma. Moreover, they became prosperous due to the cultivation of several large greenhouse vegetables. The eldest son of the Ma family thought that since the family was now affluent, he would relocate his father's grave, as it was situated in a low-lying area that would get flooded whenever it rained, which made him feel heartbroken as a son.

At that time, among the crowd, a Taoist appeared from nowhere, pointing at the corpse of the old man Ma and said: This old master Ma had examined the dragon's lair for himself while he was alive; there is water in the low-lying area, for a dragon to transform, water is essential. But now, the grave of old master Ma has been disturbed, the earth's energy is lost, and the dragon's energy has dissipated, making transformation into a dragon hopeless

Recalling the matter of Uncle Dog Egg, there are indeed some similarities; could it be that Uncle Dog Egg is also destined to transform into a dragon? This thought makes me feel somewhat excited, and I couldn't help but ask my grandfather several times. My grandfather merely responded with a vague affirmation or denial, saying that when the time is right, the truth will naturally be revealed, without outright denying it.

It is hard to say, the Broken Soul Pulse is very similar to the Death Pulse, just now I almost couldn't tell them apart. The so-called Broken Soul actually refers to having one's soul drawn away by another, resulting in the soul leaving the body, which naturally appears no different from being dead, but it is not true death, the grandfather explained

The eldest son of the Ma family realized that his good intentions had led to a mistake, so he hurriedly buried the old man again. However, this action was of no avail. The next morning, the eldest son of the Ma family was found dead, with a circle of blood-red handprints around his neck. It is said that he was strangled to death by the vengeful spirit of the old Ma.

It is absolutely impossible that Li Aiguo and his men cut down the old locust tree. The spirit residing in the old locust tree was injured, and that entity has a strong desire for revenge, requiring the essence of a person every night to heal its wounds. Generally speaking, the spirits of old trees do not dare to harm people easily, but if a person harms it first, the situation changes due to the cause and effect involved. I know about the spirit in the old locust tree; although I am not clear on the specifics, what it needs is the essence of a person, not their soul. As for soul retrieval, the further away the distance, the more difficult it becomes, especially for a living soul, and that person might be in Yangjiazhuang.

"I beg you, Uncle Changsheng, please come with me for a moment, Da Nian has knelt down to you!" As Zhu Da Nian said this, he truly intended to kneel before my grandfather

What? It's already gone? Zhu Dazheng's entire face twisted in disbelief, clearly unable to accept this fact. Zhu Dazheng had no sons, only a daughter who married out of town. His nephew, whose parents died early, had been raised by Zhu Dazheng since childhood, and Zhu Dazheng regarded Zhu Heiwa as his own son

Grandmother was about to open the door when Grandfather stopped her

Grandfather did not answer; he simply walked straight towards the corpse of Zhu Heiwa. Zhu Danian wiped the tears from his face, and a glimmer of hope emerged in his eyes. He asked, "Uncle Changsheng, what happened? Is there still a chance for Heiwa?"

What? Is there still hope for that black kid?

The death of Uncle Dog Egg has had a tremendous impact on her, and regarding what happened last night, Grandpa has instructed that it must not be disclosed to Xiao Wei, leaving me feeling helpless and anxious

Seeing a big man cry like that is truly heart-wrenching

The descendants of Old Man Ma do not understand, but that was Old Man Ma's last words, and they have no choice but to comply

What just happened feels like an illusion, as if I were dreaming

At that moment, grandfather suddenly said: "Wait, something is not right!"

Reburial of Uncle Dog Egg likely required considerable effort, as my father and grandfather did not return home until after 3 a.m.

Is there hope for Hei Wa?" Zhu Danian asked excitedly

I originally thought that the large snake would coil itself up inside the coffin, and I also believed that the coffin would not be able to contain such a large snake. However, when I went to take a look with my grandfather and father, I found that the coffin appeared to be empty, with only a single piece of human skin inside.

As soon as the door opened, Zhu Danian squeezed in through the crack. I thought he was going to harm my grandfather, and my father was ready to grab a weapon. However, Zhu Danian's face looked quite grim as he said, "Uncle Changsheng, you are home, that's great. Please come with me, there is an urgent matter!"

Grandfather and father resealed Uncle Dogdan's coffin

In fact, such matters are profoundly mysterious, and no one can clarify them. Is what the old Taoist said necessarily correct

"There is hope, Dazheng, do you remember when you were a child and the black dog from your family scared you so much that you lost your spirit? Wasn't it me who called you back?" Grandfather said with a smile, his previously serious expression transformed into one of ease. It seems that, just as Grandfather said, there is indeed room for redemption in this matter

Originally, that Zhu Heiwa was already dead, and my father and I were preparing to take Grandpa away. After all, Grandpa is just an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor and cannot bring the dead back to life. Staying here would be no different from those who are merely watching the spectacle.

Could it be that the immortal from the old locust tree has drawn away Zhu Heiwa's soul? the old man asked

Grandfather managed to help Zhu Dazheng up after much persuasion. Grandfather said: "Alright, alright, Dazheng, this is not difficult. While it is still not bright outside, I will go back and prepare. Dazheng, you go prepare a red rooster, a bundle of straw, and a bowl of glutinous rice!"

Last year, the head of the Ma family decided to relocate the old man's grave. Upon opening the tomb, they discovered that the old man's body was intact, almost as if it had just been buried. However, what was strange was that the old man's entire body was covered in green scales, and even two small forked horns had grown on his forehead.

Grandfather walked over, holding an axe in one hand and slowly opening the door with the other hand

Late at night, there is not a single person on the roads of the village. Recently, many incidents have occurred, and no one dares to come out to join the commotion at night

Grandfather is worried that the grave of Uncle Dog Egg will be disturbed again by Li Aiguo and his group. According to Grandfather, the quality of a grave is determined by its earth energy; once the grave is opened, the earth energy is lost.

When leaving the threshing ground, the old man glanced at the few people lying on the ground and asked his grandfather, "Are they still alive?"

My grandfather said to the big green snake: "Dog Egg, rest assured, I will definitely take care of the matters you entrusted to me, and I will look after Xiao Wei well!"

"What happened, why the rush?" Grandfather asked, glancing behind him, as there seemed to be no one else outside.

It is still unknown how Li Aiguo and the others will deal with my grandfather after they wake up tomorrow. At this moment, my father's expression is serious, and I know he must be worried about this matter

The large green snake truly seemed to understand the old man's words, as it slightly nodded its head and then crawled towards the coffin, returning once again to the inside of the coffin

Afterward, my grandfather called a few trusted villagers nearby, and several of them carried Uncle Gou Dan's coffin and buried it again. Of course, this time my grandfather chose a new burial site for Uncle Gou Dan, and he didn't even let me go along, so I do not know where Uncle Gou Dan's new grave is located

Fortunately, Xiao Wei is merely reluctant to speak; she can still eat. Meanwhile, my grandmother is winking at me, and I understand her intention, which is to encourage me to talk more with Xiao Wei. In fact, she has long wished for me to betroth myself to Xiao Wei.

Then Zhu Danian immediately nodded, and my father and I followed my grandfather home to make preparations. On the way, my grandfather said that Zhu Heiwa was indeed enchanted by someone else, and it was unexpected that there was a second person in Yangjiazhuang who would do such a thing

Grandfather intended to go back inside to rest for a while, but just as he returned to the house, the front door was knocked on with a loud bang.

Zhu Danian, a burly man, upon learning that Zhu Heiwa could not be saved, collapsed onto Zhu Heiwa's body and began to weep

Father asked, "What’s wrong, what seems off?"

Grandfather walked over, touched the breath of Zhu Hei Wa, and then felt his pulse. Grandfather sighed and said: "There is no hope, the person has long since passed away, Da Nian, please accept my condolences"

This matter reminds me of the incident last year regarding the relocation of graves in Dawacun, which was widely discussed in the nearby villages. The grave contained an elderly man with the surname Ma, who was a geomancer during his lifetime. Before his death, he selected a burial site for himself and instructed his descendants that after his passing, he should be buried in a coffin without any clothing, and nothing should be worn.

Both my father and I looked at my grandfather, who could only spread his hands to indicate that he was unable to explain either

"Uncle Changsheng, I am truly sorry for what happened last night!" As Zhu Danian spoke, he was on the verge of tears

The eldest of the Ma family still wanted to scold that Taoist priest, but in the next moment, he saw the body of Old Master Ma collapsing at a visibly rapid pace. In just a moment, Old Master Ma's body had turned into a decaying corpse

When my father and I arrived, Zhu Heiwa had already been taken down from the beam. He was lying on the cool mat in the main room, and his face looked exactly like that of Uncle Dog Egg at the time of his death, with an extremely twisted expression, his tongue stretched out long, and his eyes bulging out, which was quite frightening

The Taoist finished speaking and then left

Uncle Changsheng! Is Uncle Changsheng at home? That was the voice of Zhu Dazheng, the butcher from our village. He was the one who measured the coffin last night. Why would he come here?

Of course, these are all things I heard from the elders in the village. However, it is indeed true that the neighboring village relocated graves last year. Whether the reality is as the elders say remains unknown

Grandfather once again approached to confirm, this time placing his right middle finger on Zhu Heiwa's third eye. After a moment, a hint of joy appeared on Grandfather's face.

Grandfather pressed his right index finger on Zhu Hei Wa's forehead for three seconds. A glimmer of insight flashed in his eyes as he said, "You almost deceived me; that is not a death pulse, but a severed soul pulse. The death of Zhu Hei Wa is indeed suspicious"

Still alive, just fainted! Grandfather replied

In fact, the whole family was awake; only after I saw my father and grandfather return safely did the stone in my heart finally feel at ease

Zhu Danian, without saying a word, directly knelt down before my grandfather. He is a sincere person, and my grandfather could not pull him up. His head was knocking on the ground with a loud sound, and blood began to seep from his forehead

Last night's events are behind us, Dazheng, don't be in a hurry. I will go with you to take a look right now!" After saying this, Grandpa ran towards his home with Zhu Dazheng.